


Changing the Rules

by Scribbling Mama (melgibson87)



Series: AU August 2018 [25]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU August, Changing the Rules, Evolving Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends With Benefits AU, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Lovers, Maybe angst, Some angst, Something More, au yeah august, bed sharing, chlonath
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 13:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15797202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melgibson87/pseuds/Scribbling%20Mama
Summary: Chloe will never forget the first night Nathaniel spent in her bed, sleeping after a long party her father hosted. While nothing had happened really, it had been the catalyst to change the dynamic of their growing friendship into something more. Rather than try and fail at a romantic relationship, they decide to try the whole friends with benefits thing, believing it the best course for them both.What happens when that course isn't right any longer and one of them wants to change the rules? Will they find themselves losing a friendship they've both come to cherish or will they gain something more?





	Changing the Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Day 25 of AU Yeah August. Friends with Benefits AU. Pairing: Chloe x Nathaniel.  
> Day 25 of Fluff Month. Prompt: Bed Sharing. Request for pairing made by Tumblr follower.
> 
> The first chapter is a prologue for this AU. The second chapter will get us deep into the action of their new beneficial friendship.

 

The party took several hours to wind down, finally coming to an end in the wee hours of the following morning. 

Chloe didn't typically mind such long nights, but she'd been ready to kick off her heels and crawl into her bed around midnight. Too bad, her father had insisted she stay until the end, entertaining his stuffy friends and those that had decided to crash the party. She'd fought a smile as she realized those that had the audacity to crash the party had been some of her newer friends with the help of a few old ones. 

She'd have to thank Adrien, Sabrina, and even Nathaniel later for getting their classmates to show up. If they hadn't, she would have endured more hours of those overgrown, stuffed shirts that she'd come to despise as they brown-nosed her father and he returned the favor. Some of those favors had even gone far enough to include her, which she greatly resented and planned on nixing at the first opportunity. She had no desire to play these political games any longer, not when she had something far more tangible in her life. She had friends, real friends who would protect her and cared about her.

She still couldn't quite wrap her mind around that. Friends. Something she once thought she could live without, not caring if people hated her. Oh, how wrong she'd been.

Her smile softened as she entered her suite within the hotel and found most of those same friends and classmates sprawled throughout the room, draping over furniture and covering the floor in a haphazard pattern. She certainly hoped she didn't step on anyone as she made her way to her room, doing a weird version of step-dancing in that direction. 

She recognized one blond mop of hair as he laid curled near a raven-haired one. Her smile grew for a moment, realizing her best friend had found happiness even if he didn't know it yet. She'd have to help him soon with that or they'd never get the satisfying sailing of the class's mutual Adrinette ship. 

Her hand gripped the handle of her door, having reached it finally and tugged it open with some care for those sleeping below her.

She shimmied through the narrow opening, sucking in her stomach at the last moment and practically falling into the room a second later. 

She moved toward her closet, intent on gathering up her sleepwear and getting under the silky sheets adorning her bed. Oh, she couldn't wait to close her eyes and allow her dreams to take her somewhere sweeter. Who knew? Maybe she'd finally get that kiss she'd been secretly wanting from Nathaniel since growing closer with the redheaded artist. He certainly made her feel special, something that not even Adrien could do despite her earlier claims on him.

How silly she'd been about the blond model? She'd held onto him for far longer than she should have, knowing they could never make each other happy yet he'd been her only true friend, even more so than Sabrina. 

She tugged at the zipper of her dress, allowing it to fall from her thin form onto the floor, kicking it out of her way. She was truly too tired to care if it wrinkled, unconcerned with hanging it up. With a quick tug, she pulled her tank over her head and stepped into her sleep shorts. A few wipes of a makeup remover napkin and she moved toward her bed.

She made it two steps when she froze, her eyes widening at the lump currently under her covers. 

How dare someone come into her room and get into her bed? Who thought they had the right?

Stomping to the other side, she yanked the covers away and froze. A familiar sleeping redhead greeted her as she continued to stare. 

Why would he come into her room? He'd never been so bold before. Well, not counting the Evillustrator incident anyway. Since they'd become friends, he never went further than the front room of the suite, content to sketch on the large couch while they watched some movie or show together, usually something she liked since he rarely watched anything himself.

Her hand reached out and touched his shoulder, giving it a gentle shake as she whispered his name.

"Hey, Nath, wake up."

As blue eyes eventually blinked open, she fought the urge to lean down and soothe him back to sleep, seeing the depths of his exhaustion clearer than her own. He truly had gone above and beyond for her that night. 

"What time is it?" He rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake up yet not getting far as his head dropped back to the pillow beneath him.

"Late," she whispered, recalling the time being well past three in the morning upon her last check. "Why are you in my bed?"

"Am I?" His tiredness surpassed his need to feel embarrassed as his eyes peered at her. "I'll go if you want me to."

She thought about it a moment, making up her mind as she shook her head. "Stay. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" He worked to stifle a yawn, his body already relaxing into sleep again.

A smile teased at her lips. "Yes, I'm sure. Good night, Nath."

"Night, Chlo." His breathing evened out, and a soft snore soon followed.

Pressing a kiss on his cheek, she moved to the other side of her bed and slipped beneath the covers. She closed her eyes and dreamed the very dreams she'd hoped to have that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](http://scribblingmama.tumblr.com)
> 
> Update 6/10/19: This story will be completed and is on my list to finish. Right now, I'm working on a schedule to make this happen for all my WIPs. I will update everyone in the near future the progress being made for this story and other WIPs here on AO3.


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